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I have my factory spare tire on due to a ruined RFT. New tire is here Tuesday, from CA.

Question: has anyone extensively used their spare tire? And, how fast have you driven it?
The tire says 50mph limit, which I'm guessing is because of heat issues?

I need to drive on a roadtrip about 330 miles each way. How bad of an idea is it?

Thanks!

Nope, I would not do it. The spare is not meant for road trips but to manage you way to repair/replace shop to deal with the damaged tire. Now if you were talking about ten or twenty miles then that would not worry me so much but 660 miles is asking for trouble I would think. Just another part about RFT's I dislike, they are hard to find when you have a situation such as this. But it is good that you had a spare as why I ordered one with my new X5.

This is what made my head hurt when going through possible scenarios with the RFT's. Say you have 15000 mi. and the front left blows out at a cost of $400.00 to $500.00 for a new tire, is it wise to leave the front right alone or replace that one too so they at least match tread life and proper balance? So all of a sudden you pick up a nail and it cost you $1000.00 if you do the correct thing. And because RFT's are soft on the bottom by nature you are more susceptible to more punctures than normal tires. That's a tough nut just for a nail in the road not to mention potholes and such.

This is what made my head hurt when going through possible scenarios with the RFT's. Say you have 15000 mi. and the front left blows out at a cost of $400.00 to $500.00 for a new tire, is it wise to leave the front right alone or replace that one too so they at least match tread life and proper balance? So all of a sudden you pick up a nail and it cost you $1000.00 if you do the correct thing. And because RFT's are soft on the bottom by nature you are more susceptible to more punctures than normal tires. That's a tough nut just for a nail in the road not to mention potholes and such.

Actually, I'm one of the few that likes the RFT. I travel in remote areas very frequently and they have actually allowed me to carry on with out changing a tire. And, you can repair them, contrary to popular lore.

Actually, I'm one of the few that likes the RFT. I travel in remote areas very frequently and they have actually allowed me to carry on with out changing a tire. And, you can repair them, contrary to popular lore.

I am only replacing one tire. The other side has about 10k on it.

Don't get me wrong, I believe RFT's have good attributes as well which makes my head hurt. The tire could save your life or make your life miserable.

Actually, I'm one of the few that likes the RFT. I travel in remote areas very frequently and they have actually allowed me to carry on with out changing a tire. And, you can repair them, contrary to popular lore.

I am only replacing one tire. The other side has about 10k on it.

And now due to lack of a full size spare and BMWs reliance on RFTs for dealing with a flat tire, you have to rent another car for your 660 mile trip.

I for one do not like runflats since they involve, usually, "no spare tire".

Maybe the next time you see a set of tires and rims for sale on the forum and get three other owners to pony up the four of you could have that spare sitting in the garage.

OBTW the full size spare in the garage only needs to be a spare TIRE of the correct size to fit on your rims. It is fairly easy and cheap to have a tire mounted and balanced for extended use (e.g. a 660 mile trip) while sourcing a replacement for a badly damaged tire. For example when I get new tires, I always keep the best tire out of the old set in the garage. Note: this plan works equally well whether you prefer to run RFTs or non-RFTs.

Actually, I'm one of the few that likes the RFT. I travel in remote areas very frequently and they have actually allowed me to carry on with out changing a tire. And, you can repair them, contrary to popular lore.

I am only replacing one tire. The other side has about 10k on it.

i run out on the arizona strip which eats tyres, so i am interested on how far you have run on a RFT once it leaks? think i can get home 50 miles of dirt? they are called run flat, for a reason????

Well, I'm back from the 700+ mile trip, and the spare performed very well, under the circumstances. On both 335 mile legs, I averaged about 68MPH of backroads driving. I cruised at about 78MPH for the majority of the trip. The only issue was bad handling. The tire is very unstable when pressed - cornering at speed was horrible and any kind of bump at speed on that side would shift your car out of lane if not careful.

New tire is on, and it feels good to be made whole again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasBMW

I have my factory spare tire on due to a ruined RFT. New tire is here Tuesday, from CA.

Question: has anyone extensively used their spare tire? And, how fast have you driven it?
The tire says 50mph limit, which I'm guessing is because of heat issues?

I need to drive on a roadtrip about 330 miles each way. How bad of an idea is it?